Being Number One

I saw this segment on Golf Central last night where they focused on the whole issue of being ranked #1 in the world. Players and analyst on the show gave their perspectives on being number one.  I was struck by Lee Westwood when he basically expressed that he would get annoyed or irritated by people who diminished the number one ranking because they haven’t won a major championship.  He went on to say that being number one is a tremendous accomplishment and he didn’t see why people would look down on the accomplishment.

I agree with Westwood it’s a tremendous accomplishment, but it does really come down to Majors.  Number one to this generation of fans means nothing if you can’t attach a major championship to it.  Think about it, Phil Mickelson was always tagged with the “greatest player to never win a major.  Then, 2004 he finally broke through with the first of his four major wins. 

When looking at Phil’s legacy, everyone will remember his short-game wizardy, his river-boat-gambler style, and how much he was a “people’s champ," no if he was ever the #1 player in the world.

Look at one of golf's greatest tragic-heroes, Greg Norman.  He had the second longest run at #1 since the rankings were created in 1986.  In the span of is career he had a ton of wins and two majors, unfortunately what people remember most about Norman are his mounumental collapses in Majors and there is a segment of Golf and sports fans who see him as the "C" word (Choker), not that he spent 331 weeks at #1. 

 It’s similar to when the FED-EX was hyped on the PGA Tour; it’s a nice accomplishment, but would a player want the FED-EX Cup and the money, or a Green Jacket from Augusta.  Similar question, would Westwood want to be number one and stay there or drop in the rankings and win the Claret Jug?